Pictures, but not of the house

So, the weekend... Saturday, the day before Moving Day, we spent the day at a nearby fair with Matt, Kristin and Nick (they got a sitter for the twins). We had these plans in place long before the house situation came up, and since they went to all the trouble of getting a babysitter, we didn't want to break the plans. It was nice, though--a fun, relaxing day before all the chaos of moving.

We spent most of the day letting the kiddos enjoy the rides. First was the train ride. (No, I don't know that guy... but you can see Ari and Kristin.)



I made a couple attempts to get the kids to pose together for a picture. Never could get them both to smile and/or look at me at the same time.



Then they got to ride in the belly of a dragon...



I couldn't get a good picture of them while they were on this ride, but I had to get a picture of the size of this ferris wheel. Tony took them, and neither Nick nor Ari was scared at all.



Thoughtful Ari...



Fake-smile Ari...



Waiting in line for our baked potatoes.



I think she was giving me a cheesy smile here... who knows...



I took them on the flying bee ride...



There were a few rides they could do alone, though... like this one...



And this one. (Before the ride even started, they were fighting over something... I think they kept wanting to grab the other one's steering wheel or something. That might be the reason for the expression on Ari's face.)



Since Daddy is a sucker, Ari got to play a couple of the carnival games--luckily, he chose those "everyone wins a prize" games.



Ari and Nick fishing...



Ari loved all the animals... like this sheep.



There was a place where you could watch baby chicks hatch. Then beside it was this incubator for some of the "older" chicks. Ari liked this section better--probably because she could get closer.



And the animal highlights of the day... Ari got to milk a goat...



...and ride an elehpant.



It was a great day--perfect weather, great company, and a couple of really well-behaved 3-year-olds. And I didn't once fret about packing or moving.

And yes, Sunday was the big moving day, and it rained all day, which made for some messy moving. But despite our lack of preparation and organization, things went much more smoothly than I thought they would. We had more people helping than I expected, and several of them jumped right in, grabbing boxes and packing up all the things that were still unpacked. We got all the furniture moved on Sunday, and then some, so it was definitely a productive day. On Monday, my mom and our friend Wayne spent the day with us, helping us unpack and get the remaining items from the apartment. (And then Mom treated us all to Cracker Barrel--yum.) There are still a few things at the apartment that we couldn't fit yesterday, so Tony will be taking care of that today.

The house is coming along. We have all the furniture situated where we want it, so now it's just a matter of unpacking all the boxes and bags. I'm having a hard time finding things, since other people helped pack--for example, I couldn't find my alarm clock last night (I used Tony's instead). But everything will turn up. In spite of all the boxes and the general mess, I am absolutely loving this house. I think Ari loves it, too. She has spent a lot of time just playing quietly in her room (and making quite a mess, of course)--I think she really digs having a huge room all to herself. In a flash of genius, on the first night I told her that her new room has a new rule--the door has to be shut at bedtime. She protested a bit, but didn't put up a fight when I actually did it. And the fact that she's slept perfectly must mean she's OK with it. I am so glad. Leaving her door open worked in the apartment because of the layout, but there's no way that would work in the house.

Anyway, that's enough rambling for today. And yes, pictures will be coming, as soon as we're unpacked. Which may not actually be "soon," but that's no surprise, right?

Oh, one more thing... on Sunday, Ari spent the afternoon with Pastor and Dawn while we moved, and they took her along with them to a political fundraiser, where she got to meet the mayor. Yep, first day in a new town and my kid meets the mayor (he's the one on the right; Pastor is the one on the left). I'm expecting her to get the keys to the city any day now.

On moving

As excited as I am about moving into this house (and believe me, underneath my stressing about packing and other to-do list items, I truly am thrilled), there's a little tinge of sadness. I'm more than happy to give up apartment living for a real, live house, but I can't help but be a little sentimental about leaving this place behind.

We've been married for 11 years, and the last 7 of them have been in this apartment. And this was our first "real" apartment--meaning, this is the first one we signed an actual lease for, put down a deposit for, etc. The other places we lived before here were either staff housing (when I was working as a graduate assistant), or a missions apartment in the basement of a church, or an in-law apartment above the garage of a dear friend's house. Renting this apartment was a huge "grown-up" step for us. And there are a lot of memories here. The biggest one probably being that it's the place we brought Ari home to when she was born.

When I drive home from work now, I'm reminded that my days of making this drive are almost over. I find myself glancing out the windows of my car as I exit the highway--looking at the housing development across the street from the exit ramp, at the commuter lot on my left, at the Dunkin Donuts I sometimes visit, at the grocery store across the street that we always shop at--and I realize, with a bit of a start, that soon, seeing these places won't be part of my daily routine anymore. Maybe it seems silly to say I'm going to miss that commuter lot or that grocery store. But it's a little bit true.

And it's not even just seeing those places. I'm realizing that we'll be shopping at a different grocery store, a different Target, getting gas at a different gas station, frequenting a different mall--just because they will be closer. And none of that is sad or anything. It's just an odd thought. You get used to doing things a certain way after 7 years.

I could probably make a list of the things I will miss about this apartment, but it would be very short, and they would be small things. And the list of things that I'm looking forward to in this house is long....

Much more space. Including a basement for storage.

Ari having a room all of her own (instead of having to share her room with an old computer desk and a filing cabinet).

A washer and dryer of our own. (No more lugging laundry baskets across the parking lot to the laundry room and paying per load.)

Being able to park in a driveway right next to the house instead of a random parking spot in a huge parking lot.

Tons of windows that we can open to let in the breeze. (We only have a few windows in our apartment, just on the front and back, and it's almost impossible to get a good cross-breeze.)

A huge yard for the kiddo and the dogs.

A brand-new dining room set. (We bought it off the owners--they bought it used but refinished it, and it looks brand-new.)

Being able to finally fit all our furniture in our house. (We have a few chairs living at my parents' house due to lack of space.)

Being able to put up a Christmas tree in front of the lovely bay windows for all the world to see. (I know that's silly, but I think it's so cool.)

Possibly being able to put up Christmas lights and such. (Note to self: buy Christmas lights.)

A kitchen big enough to put an island in (a small one, but still). And nice new appliances in the kitchen, too. And a double sink.

An actual dining room, separate from any other rooms (which gives me hope that we'll keep the table cleared off, which means no more meals in front of the TV because the table is too cluttered to eat at).

I could go on and on, I'm sure, but I won't. And aside from all these things, there are all sorts of other blessings coming our way. A friend of a friend is going to give us a twin-size bed for Ari--white wood frame and mattress and all. The owner is selling us his swingset (that his boys are too old for), which I know Ari will just love. Matt and Kristin are lending us a desk so that we can toss our flimsy particle-board one. And there's there all sorts of other people offering to lend a hand with moving, unpacking, babysitting. It's enough to make my head spin--in a good way.

It occurred to me a few days ago that last year, on September 27, we were leaving for our Caribbean cruise.



This year, on September 27, we will be moving into our new house.



I wonder what we'll be doing on September 27 next year? (If you say "having a baby!" I will kick you.)

My new motto: DON'T PANIC *edit*

In case anyone's interested, here's a link to that height calculator I mentioned in my last entry (the one that predicted Ari will be 5'8" by the time she's 18)... here you go. (That link will open in a new window.)

So, the weekend. Saturday was our most productive packing day. My parents took Ari for the afternoon and overnight, which was a huge help, and Tony and I buckled down and got a lot of packing done. We took advantage of Ari being gone to toss a lot of her toys. I got almost the entire kitchen packed up while Tony worked on the living room. But then we decided to take advantage of the fact that we were kid-free and headed out on a short impromptu date night--dinner at Johnny Rockets and dessert at Coldstone. Then Tony decided to do a little window-shopping, looking at things we might need/want for the house, and by the time we got home, it was late, and we got nothing else done. But I didn't care. It's been a long time since we've had a Date Night, and we both really needed that break from reality.

Sunday, of course, was church, plus we had a big potluck dinner afterward, which means we were there a lot longer than normal. Then I had freelance work to do, and then we coordinated with Matt and Kristin because they're letting us borrow a desk and we needed their minivan to move it. So needless to say, Sunday was not a productive day.

It's so strange to look around and see blank walls and empty shelves. I think between all the packing, and then showing the house off to friends, it's starting to hit me that this is really, truly happening. And holy moley, we have so much to do.... This week is going to be madness--we have commitments on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and Tony has something going on Friday night. Plus the whole reason we're moving Sunday rather than Saturday is because we have plans with Matt and Kristin on Saturday. So that means we have tonight and Thursday night, and I have Friday night, to get it all done.

OK, no freaking out... it's only Monday. I should wait until at least Tuesday to start panicking. So, change of subject...

I realized just the other day that it's been a long time since I've taken/posted any pictures of Ari. So I commissioned Tony to take a few pictures yesterday, since she looked especially cute.

Ari decided to pack herself in a box.



At least someone is enjoying this mess of boxes...



Can't imagine where she gets her blue eyes from...

---

*** EDIT ***

As I said before, we got the keys to the house yesterday. Well, just one key. So of course, the first order of business was to get copies made. Problem is, the new key looks exactly the same as our current keys. Which won't be a problem for long, but still. We dog-sat our neighbors dogs the other day, and they gave us their teenage daughter's key to get into the house--a pretty purple key with a butterfly. I thought it was so cute and told Tony I wanted my new house key to be pretty. So Tony went off to get the keys made today, and called me to tell me my choices. And this is what I chose...



Those spots inside the hearts are actually little pink jewels. I love it. So so pretty.

I know, I am such a girl.

And if you're wondering... Wal-Mart.

You make me smile like the sun

Apparently, randomness is my thing lately...

---

So, last week, we had a grand total of 3 boxes packed. Want to guess how many we've added to that total? One. Yes, you read that right. I don't know why I can't get myself motivated to do this. I think it's because it seems like such an overwhelming amount of work, so I'm coping with it by doing nothing. This is our last weekend to pack, since next weekend is Moving Weekend (holy crap!) so we HAVE to get some major progress accomplished this weekend. HAVE to.

---

So the fall TV season is well underway, which means you're going to hear me blabber on about the shows I love. (Don't worry--I will try not to spoil anything for you.) The third episode of "Glee" was on Wednesday, and once again, it was made of awesome.

Also, "The Office" premiered last night, and it was great. And I watched the new show "Community" and loved it. Like I need a new show to watch. Joel McHale is fantastic, though. ( I wonder if this new show means that Joel McHale won't be hosting "The Soup" anymore...?) And I'm a big fan of Abed, the kid that talks wicked fast and made all the "Breakfast Club" references.

---

We bought some of that toddler toothpaste for Ari a long time ago--you know, the kind that's safe for them to swallow as they're learning how to brush their teeth. Well, she hated it, so we haven't pushed the issue, and the tube has just been sitting on the counter for months. A few nights ago, she happened to see it as she got ready to brush her teeth, and she told me, "Mommy, I don't like my toothpaste." She paused, then asked, "Can I have some toothpaste?" I was startled, but didn't argue--I put a dab on her brush and waited for her to wail and moan about how she didn't like it. But instead, she happily brushed away and even started laughing. What a nut. I figured it was just a fluke, but she has cheerfully asked for toothpaste every night since then. Go figure.

---

Despite our lack of packing, we do have boxes everywhere, and I've told Ari not to play with them or in them, since we don't want them to get damaged. Ari was playing by herself the other night when out of nowhere, she declared, "Mommy, I want to tell you something." I looked up at her and she continued, "Earlier, I stepped in the box with the blanket and I'm sorry." When I burst out laughing, she giggled and added, "And that's funny."

---

Ari got one of those birthday cards that talks when you open it--she loves the thing, so it's become a part of her toy collection. She was playing with it the other night, opening it and listening to the characters yell, "Happy birthday!" and all the other stuff they say. When it was done, she chuckled and said, "Thank you, guys!"

Along those lines, she is forever talking to her toys now, and it is so cute. She talks in this soft little voice, making her toys and dolls carry on entire conversations. Of course, as soon as she notices you're listening, she stops, and will sometimes start giggling as she looks at you, as if she knows exactly how adorable she is.

---

I found some little online calculator thing that's supposed to predict how tall your child will be by the time they are 18. You fill in their gender, current age/height/weight, then the height of both parents. So according to all that, Ari will be 5'8"... which is a good 6" taller than me. Not that I'm surprised, though--it's not too difficult to be taller than me.

---

I found this quote the other day, and really liked it, so I thought I would share...

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." ~Albert Schweitzer

---

I heard this song on the radio this week, and it caught my attention--it's called "Smile" and I think it's cute, if not a bit corny. Which is just my style.

A geek to the core

Just some more randomness, from the mind of me...

---

I think the E! channel's "The Soup" is one of the funniest shows on TV. I don't know why I don't watch it more often. Probably because I don't pay attention to what day/time it's on. (Does anyone remember when it used to be called "Talk Soup" and was hosted by Greg Kinnear?)

---

"Glee" might just be my new favorite show. Sure, it's no "Pushing Daisies" (*sniff*) but it's definitely an awesome show. Much love.

Also, I know all the songs are on iTunes and such, but I really hope they come out with a soundtrack for the show. I would so buy it.

---

You know how back in medieval times, they used to have that torture machine called "The Rack"? It was a machine where they would tie up a person's wrists to a roller at the top and their ankles to a roller at the bottom, and then slowly turn the rollers and stretch the body until it was pulled apart. I'm thinking those aren't such a bad idea. No, I don't want to be dismembered, but a little stretch might not be bad. I mean, think how good it feels when you reach your arms up over your head and give your back a good stretch. If a machine could do it for you, I bet it would feel even better. Of course, it might be tricky getting the settings on the machine just right, and I imagine not many people would want to be the guinea pigs, so I guess it will never happen. But a girl can dream.

---

They should make a whole pack of Starburst that is just the pink ones. Because the lemon ones are just "meh" and no one really likes the cherry ones and the orange ones are just gross.

---

Ari and I were watching "The Wedding Singer" on TV, and during the one part where Adam Sandler sings Drew Barrymore the song he wrote (not the one at the end--the one where the verses are all soft and sweet, and then he screams the chorus), Ari was captivated by the song. And during one of the screamy choruses, she declared, "That boy is a great singer." I agreed with her, and she added, "Can I tell him that next time I see him?" I said sure, why not.

---

I watched some episodes of "Animaniacs" with Ari last weekend--totally my idea since, hey, there's only so much Playhouse Disney a person can stand. And I figured it was about time to introduce her to some real cartoon awesomeness. Ari was a bit unimpressed at first--she even flat-out said, "I don't like this show." Yet she remained riveted to the TV. Little liar.

---

That reminds me... you know what's a great word? Umbrage. Just say it. It's fun, and it sounds all fancy.

Wanna know where I heard it? "Animaniacs." Oh yeh. See, the show is funny AND educational. What's not to love?

(And since I know someone will ask.... it means "offense, annoyance, displeasure." As in, to feel umbrage at a social snub; to give umbrage to someone; to take umbrage at someone's rudeness. Now, go out and work this word into your daily vocabulary.)

---

I watched "Never Been Kissed" a few nights ago--it's one of those movies I will always stop and watch. Anyway, if you're familiar with the movie, you know that Josie is a copy editor/reporter, and spends a good deal of the movie correcting people's grammar. (A girl after my own heart.)

But it irks me so much that, at the end of the movie, in her Amazing Story That Saves The Day, she makes a HUGE grammar error. It would be understandable if it was a line of dialogue, because who doesn't screw up grammar in conversation? But the fact that Miss Snotty Copy Editor missed this in her own article?

Now, class, who can tell me what's wrong with the following sentence?

A geek to the core, most of my childhood days were spent doing extra homework I requested from the teacher.

If you said "dangling modifier," you are correct. Gold star.

Grr.

---

That said, I have to say, I love this line from that movie, where she's describing what a first kiss is like....

That thing, that moment, when you kiss someone and everything around becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is you and this person and you realize that that person is the only person that you're supposed to kiss for the rest of your life, and for one moment you get this amazing gift and you want to laugh and you want to cry because you feel so lucky that you found it and so scared that that it will go away all at the same time.

*girly, dreamy sigh*

---

Man, this entry is getting long. I should shut up now, or I may never stop. Hope you all had a great weekend!

House

So, big news... we are moving! Into a house!

It is beautiful. It's a cape, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a full basement, a huge backyard. Hardwood floors everywhere (except one bedroom upstairs, and that's Berber carpet). Pretty appliances in the kitchen. Our own washer and dryer. Central heat/air. Gorgeous appliances in the kitchen that might actually make me want to cook (a stainless-steel fridge that's huge, and one of those flat-top stoves). There's a shed in the backyard, and there's already a lawnmower (and Tony is more than a little excited about getting to mow the yard). Even a little sunroom off one side of the house--not sure what we'll use it for, but it's cute.

It's on the almost-end of a dead-end street, yet right off a major route and close to grocery stores, a mall, etc. It's a couple towns away, but it will shave a good 10 minutes off my 50-minute commute. Plus we'll be a lot nearer to most of the people in the church, which will be great for Tony's job as well.

So who wants to see pictures? They aren't the greatest--the flash didn't go off on some of them, since the sun was so bright, and I was in a hurry, but they will do for now. And the homeowners still have a bunch of their stuff in there, so none of the furniture, etc., you will see belongs to us. So I promise to share more pictures after we're all moved in and unpacked.

OK, first of all, the view from the street.



When you walk in the front door, the living room is to the left.



Then, beyond that, is one bedroom (which we will be using as an office).



Then there's the downstairs bathroom (a full bathroom).



Then the kitchen. The appliances are staying. And I didn't get a good picture of it, but the stove is there in the lower left corner--it's a cooktop stove, one of those ones with the smooth surface.



The other side of the kitchen.



Then the dining room (which is immediately to your right when you walk in the front door). See that door? That leads out to a small sunroom. I didn't get a picture of that. Oh and also, the dining room table set is staying--we're going to buy it off the owners.




And then upstairs. This will be our bedroom.



Upstairs bathroom (also a full bathroom).



And the other upstairs bedroom, which will be Ari's room. It's the only room in the house with carpeting--Berber carpet, too.



And both rooms have these cute little gables--I love them.



And last but not least, the backyard. I'm pretty sure they said they're leaving the picnic table and other furniture.



I didn't get any pictures of the basement, but I should mention that there's a nice little laundry room area down there--and the washer and dryer are staying. I think that's one of the things I'm most excited about--having my own washer and dryer. How sad is that?

I had big plans of getting a lot of packing done today, but all I managed to get done was to sift through all of Ari's clothes. I filled 2 big bags full of clothes she's outgrown, and another bag full of shoes, and passed them on to a friend whose daughter is a little younger than Ari. Plus I went through all of Ari's drawers and her closet and sorted and folded everything nicely. So that's one big task out of the way... but still so much more left to do. But I'll get to it, eventually... I work best under pressure.

I think I'm going to spend what's left of my holiday weekend being lazy on the couch with my husband. No point even attempting to get anything productive done now, right? Right.